SOUNDS AROUND TOWN: Joey Alexander plans a hands-on piano experience

Friday

May 4, 2018 at 10:05 AMMay 4, 2018 at 10:05 AM

By Ed Symkus, Correspondent

It would be fine with Joey Alexander if people stopped referring to him as a child prodigy.

Sure, he’s only 14, and he fronts his own trio, and he’s played at the Newport Jazz Festival, and saxophonist Joshua Redman is a guest artist on his new album “Eclipse.” But when Alexander, along with drummer Justin Faulkner and bass player Kris Funn, makes a tour stop at Berklee Performance Center on May 5 he’d be happy just to be called a jazz pianist.

A native of Bali who now lives in New York with his parents, Alexander started playing piano at age 6, and caught on pretty quickly – with some assistance from his dad, who plays piano and guitar, and turned his son on to his collection of jazz albums.

“I would play along with my dad sometimes, but he would also have me follow along with the records,” said Alexander by phone from his home. “So that was my learning process.”

Though he’s a fan of pop music that ranges from the Beatles to Michael Jackson, Alexander still listens to many of the artists from those albums he learned from.

“I listen to [Thelonious] Monk, who was the piano player who got me into playing piano,” he said. “But there are many other musicians, aside from piano players, that I listen to ... the horn players, such as Miles Davis, Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan, and John Coltrane. I play [Coltrane’s] composition ‘Giant Steps’ wherever I go.”

Alexander put together and arranged a familiar program of jazz standards for his first album, the aptly titled “My Favorite Things,” in 2015, but even back then, included an original piece he called “Ma Blues.” His own “Soul Dreamer” and “Sunday Waltz” are among the standards on his follow-up album “Countdown.” And though it’s all Monk music on last year’s “Joey. Monk. Live!,” on the new “Eclipse,” which is being released on the day of the Berklee gig, six of the 11 tunes are Alexander originals.

He’s either a bit shy when asked about his inspirations for composing or, like so many others, the process is a mystery to him.

There was silence for a few seconds as he thought through the answer, then he said, “The music comes to me when I practice, when I’m trying to take my time with it.”

It was easier when the topic switched to choosing songs to cover, specifically two from the new album: Paul McCartney’s “Blackbird” and Ray Noble’s “The Very Thought of You,” which is one of the selections with Redman on saxophone.

“I’ve been playing ‘Blackbird’ for quite a while but I hadn’t recorded it,” said Alexander. “It’s very special. Not only the song but also the message. Paul McCartney wrote it about the Civil Rights Movement, about the [1957] protests in Little Rock, Arkansas. It’s about being free, and it’s an inspiring message for all of us. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to play and record that song. With ‘The Very Thought of You,’ the melody is just so beautiful. I’m really glad that Joshua recorded it with me.”

Alexander is the youngest musician to play on the stage at Newport. He’s also got to be one of the youngest to front a band, to take the position of a leader. Yet the responsibility that comes along with the title doesn’t seem to faze him.

“Like any band leader, I have to figure out what to play, prepare material, and do arrangements,” he said. “But I have my band help me as well. All leaders try to make the music right, make sure the concept is right. But a leader also shares with other people, gives other players the freedom to express themselves.”

It’s proven difficult for him to choose a favorite between playing solo and playing with a group.

“I would say that when I play trio format I have a [musical] conversation with others, which is really fun,” he explained. “Playing solo challenges you to have a conversation with yourself. Of course, sometimes that’s nice.”

So, at this point, is Alexander interested in trying out any other instruments?

“Well, I’ve thought about playing drums,” he said. “But so far, I’ve only messed around with drums, and my drummer would look at me and say, ‘What are you DOING?’ (laughs). I do like the sound of the Fender Rhodes [piano], but I’m not planning to play that right now.”